Graphophone, phonograph, or the like.



. PATENTED APR; 21, 1903. W.- G; RUNGE. GRAPHOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH, OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 13 1901;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 N0 MODEL.

,PATBNTED APR. 21, 1903.

No. 725,878. a

W. 0. RUNGE. GRAPHOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH, OR THE LIKE.

0 APPLICATION FILED DBO. 13, 1901.

NO MODEL. I 2 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'6 *1 D: I D Y 5 y B 4 War/ 6 56$; y I

NITED WALTER C. RUNGE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

GRAPHOPHONE, PHONOGRAPH, OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent N0. 725,878, dated April 21, 1903.

Application filed December 18, 1901. ScriaI'No.85,824. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WALTER O. RUNGE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Belating to Graphophones, Phonographs,-or the Like, (for which applications for Letters Patent have been made in Great Britain under Nos. 20,920 and 20,921, both dated October 18, 1901,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to graphophones, phonographs, and the like, and has particular reference to instruments which are intended to be used with record-cylinders of Various diameters. In instruments of this type the position of the smaller or stylus-carrying end of the sound-trumpet has to be varied to suit the diameter of the record in use, and according to this invention I provide what may be termed an adjustable locking device, whereby the carrier or guide for the trumpet may be readily fixed in the desired position.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view with parts broken away, showing one construction of graphophone according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing details of the locking device. I

With reference first to Fig. 1, A is a hollow base which contains the motor-driving mechanism for the instrument, attached to the under side ofa base-plate B. Details of the 1 motor itself are not shown, as they form no part of the present invention. It will be understood that the motor may be, say, a clockwork-train of the ordinary type driven by a spring, which can be wound up by means of the handle 0.

Upon the base-plate B are standards B and B serving to support the various parts of the machine. Carried upon a spindle D, rigidly held in the standard B, is a sleeve D, free to turn about the spindle D, but prevented from longitudinal movement'thereon by means of a screw D which engages with a groove D in the spindle. This sleeve D forms the axle for the record-mandrel, and it is provided with a screw D at its outer end and a cone D near the end adjacent to the standard B. The sleeve D is driven from the motor by means of a belt E, which passes below the base-plate B to a suitable pulley forming part of the motor, and a gear-wheel E, attached to the sleeve D, drives, through a train of wheels E another wheel F, attached to aleading-screw E, which is mounted free to turn between the standards B and B Two record-mandrels ofdifferent diameters are provided, one, the larger, being shown at G in Fig. l and the other at G in Fig. 2. Each'of these mandrels is provided at one end with a slightly-coned mouth which fits over the conical portion D attached to the sleeve D, and at the other end with an end plate, which is furnished with a central hole through which the screw D passes, a nut D serving to secure the mandrel in position. The recordH is carried friction-tight upon the mandrel in the usual way.

Supported between the standards B and B and free to turn therein is a guide-bar J, furnished with a slot J and having a handle J attached to it at one end. This handle J normally rests against a stop J Fig. 1, and

can be moved over a spring J which presses against its under surface, this spring being bent, as at J atone end, so as to receive and hold the handle J in a definite position when it is moved. Sliding freely upon the guidebar J is a sleeve K, having attached to it by a screw K an arm K part of which is formed asaknife-edge K to engage with the thread of theleading-screw F. The screw K passes throughthe boss forming part of the arm K andextends through the sleeve K into the groove J, thus preventing the sleeve from rotating upon the guide-bar J. Mounted upon the sleeve K adjacent to the arm K is a disk L, supporting a carrier-arm L, the other end of which bears a fork L serving as a guide for the smaller end of the sound-trumpet M. This sound-trumpet is pivotally supported at its larger end by a bent arm M, and when the instrument is in operation the stylus M carried at the lower end of the trumpet, rests in the grooves in the record H. As the instrument is made to take records of two diameters, it is necessary that the position of the carrier-arm L should be adjustable relatively to that of the arm K This is accomplished by making the disk L free to turn about the sleeve K and providing it with a slot L through which a screw L passes into a tapped hole in the boss carrying the arm K If this screw L be loosened, the carrierarm L, which is keptfrom lateral movement on the sleeve K by means of a collar L may be turned around. upon the sleeve as far as the extent of the slot L permits. Preferably the slot is of such a length that the carrier-arm L is in its proper position to suit one record when the tightening-screw L is at one end of the slot and in a corresponding position to suit the other record when the screw is at the other extremity of the slot. As the arm L and the sound-trum pet are of different lengths and turn about different centers, the arms L tend to shift relatively to the adjacent por tion of the sound-trum pet when the two members mentioned are moved from one position to the other. This would be disadvantageous, as owing to the fact that the sound-trumpet is tapered or conical there would be a variation in the space between the guiding forked arms and the walls of the trumpet. To obviate this,the forked arms L are made to turn in the end of the carrier-arm L, so that they may be adjusted to occupy approximately the same position whether the instrument is used with a large record or a small one. This adjustment may be made by hand; but it is preferably accom plished automatically by attaching to the forked arms L a small rod or crank L which is linked bya rod L to a lug L attached to the back portion of the arm K By thus linking the forked arms L toa stationary point eccentric to the axis about which the carrier-arm L turns it is possible to keep the forked arms L in approximately the same position relatively to the soundtrumpet whether the trumpet be raised for use with a record of large diameteror lowered for use with a smaller record.

When it is desired to place the instrument out of actionthat is, to withdraw the point of the stylus M out of contact with the record I-I-the handle J is moved until it engages with the bent portion J of the spring This partially rotates the guide-bar J and the sleeve K and lifts the knife-edge K out of engagement with the leading-screw F, while the same movement causes the forked arms L to raise the stylus clear of the record. When in operation, the weight of the carrierarm L and the other members mounted upon the sleeve K is sufficientto keep the knifeedge K in engagement with the thread of the leading-screw F.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a graphophone the combination of a guide for the sound-trum pet, asupport whereon said guide is capable of limited rotarymovement, means for imparting a lateral movement to the guide and its support, and means for securing said guide in any one of a plurality of radial positions relatively to its support substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a graphophone the combination of a driven leading-screw, a guide-bar mounted parallel thereto, a sleeve free to slide along but not to rotate upon said guide-bar, an operative connection between the sleeve and the leadingscrew, a guide for the soundtrumpet mounted upon the sleeve and capable of limited rotary movement thereon and means for securing the guide in any one of a plurality of radial positions relatively to the sleeve substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a graphophone the combination of a driven leading-screw, a guide-bar mounted parallel thereto, a sleeve free to slide along but not to rotate upon said guide-bar, an arm mounted upon said sleeve and adapted to en gage with the leading screw, a disk also mounted upon the sleeve and capable of limited rotary movement thereon, a carrier-arm attached to said disk and provided with a forked guide forthe sound-trumpet and means for securing the disk in any one of a plurality of radial positions substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4-. In a graphophone the combination of a driven leading-screw, a guide-bar mounted parallel thereto, a sleeve free to slide along but not to rotate upon said guide-bar, an arm mounted upon said sleeve and adapted to engage with the leading screw, a disk also mounted upon the sleeve and capable of limited rotary movement thereon, a carrier-arm attached to said disk, forked arms pivotally mounted at the free end of the carrier-arm and means for securing the disk in any one of a plurality of radial positions substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a graphophone the combination of a driven leading-screw, a guide-bar mounted parallel thereto, a sleeve free to slide along but not to rotate upon said guide-bar, an arm mounted upon said sleeve and adapted to engage with the leading screw, a disk also mounted upon the sleeve and capable of limited rotary movement thereon, a carrier-arm attached to said disk, forked arms pivotally mounted at the free end of the carrier-arm, a link connecting the forked arms with a stationary point eccentric to the axis about which the disk turns and means for securing the disk in any one of a plurality of radial positions substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WVALTER C. RUNGE.

Witnesses:

Anon J. FRENCH, HARRY B. BRIDGES. 

